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Show A TAX ON MAIL ORDER HOUSE8 Tho petition of many thousand retail re-tail merchants, that a portion ot tho war tax might fittingly be placed on mall order houses, will no doubt be attributed to tho feeling of business rivalry. It Is always unpopular and unconvincing to advocate a policy that seems to attack a competitor. Yet on tho matter ot taxation tho retail merchant Is often at a very unfair advantage. Peddlers come Into In-to his territory and hawk their wares from door to door. Not having any settled placo of business, tho majority major-ity 'of them escape taxation on their stocks of merchandise. Tho gain that comes from buying goods of a roving vendor who Is not contributing to the cost of running locnl government Is a vory doubtful kind ot profit. Tho competition of tho mall ordor houses, ns respects taxation, Is of much tho same character. Those os- tabllshmcnts aro big and substantial. No doubt thoy pay large taxes where their placo of business is located. Hut tho rotnll merchant finds It necessary to keep goods on hand whero tho public can see, touch and hnndlo them. This gives him a stock of largo tanglblo vnluo, accessible to tho oyos of tho tax gatherer. Tho mall order house, meanwhllo, Is paying tnxes In somo distant city which help to build up nono ot the communities whore Its business Is located. It soils goods by catalog cut, and Its patrons tako tho goods on faith. Tho stock kept on hand, though it may bo ltirgo, must bo rel; atlvely small when compared with" tho amount ot businoss done. Consequently Conse-quently tho mall order houso must pay relatively small taxes. Since tho busluoss ot tho mall order or-der houso covers many states, nnd often tho whole country, it would seem only fair that It should pay a special tax to tho general government. govern-ment. It must "get by" easily on n locnl tax based on tangible property In sight. . |